Chapter 446: Promotion and Rewards

I have no idea how the nagas managed to stall, but they actually delayed the Sandlin for five full days.

Luo De didn't bother thinking much about Axe Beach's situation.

He spent day and night inside the White Dragon's Tomb, wildly playing with Eve during the day, using 【Green Vine Mutual Healing】 to help her build her Battle Soul while simultaneously forging his own through Spirit Devour.

Added to that, absorbing dragon scales, and sneaking time to water the Dragon-Slaying Great Sword.

He kept at it until nightfall.

After midnight, once he had drained Eve into unconsciousness, Luo De slipped out to wait at the nagas' camp for Mother Lilian's favor.

Lilian was torn between concern and desire, her mind in constant turmoil.

Each time she swore to sleep separately, yet each time she couldn't resist the surge of lust, her eyes clouded with mist as she sneaked into Luo De's bed.

It would again last most of the night.

Repeat as before.

These five days were excessively decadent, commented Miss Wen Na, who had observed everything.

Decadent?

Luo De didn't think so; compared to the daily parties in the Windwall Forest, this was practically health-preserving.

But for Eve, it might have been a bit too intense.

After all, only five days had passed; though she'd preserved the ancient White Dragon's image with recording stones, her spiritual quality simply wasn't enough to construct a dragon—she needed Luo De's help.

So, these five days, she was thoroughly pampered by Luo De.

She struggled to maintain focus on spiritual construction while enduring the overwhelming stimulation and the constant risk of losing consciousness.

At first, progress was poor—she'd often begin convulsing and rolling her eyes before even half an hour passed.

Three months of abstinence had made her body hypersensitive.

Only after Luo De slowed down and fed her an extra Spirit Seed to enhance her innate talent did things improve.

Deep within the White Dragon's Tomb.

Warm light spells hung high above.

The frozen frost had receded significantly, finally exposing gray and brown rock walls.

Beyond the Dragon-Slaying Great Sword, pulled free and casually leaned against the wall, and the human swordsman's grave, the White Dragon had vanished, frozen solid.

After all, only five days had passed.

Eve's progress was not smooth—her rank and spiritual quality limited her.

Luo De suggested she abandon her previous Battle Soul form, to reduce the strain on herself.

But the greedy naga refused.

More is better; better is more.

Such a greedy bastard.

Unlike her.

Luo De's progress was far smoother.

The first breakthrough was the scale absorption of 【Dragon Scale Art】.

Twenty hours—neither too long nor too short.

As absorption progressed, Luo De watched from his panel as his signature defense skill advanced from 【Dragon Scale Art】 all the way to 【Dragon Scale Art +4】, while a new trait appeared: 【Ice Resistance Boost】.

He made a rough estimate.

Each +1 upgrade strengthened the skill by roughly 10% over the previous level.

If the original armor value of Dragon Scale Art was 100, then +4 now equals 146. 1—ignore the decimals.

Defense performance increased by nearly half.

Quite impressive.

The second breakthrough was his rank.

It had already begun to loosen during his battle with the half-elf Virgil—he'd expected ten or so days.

Unexpectedly, while he was busy with Eve, he suddenly ascended.

There was no such thing as a bottleneck.

【Mature Spirit】 enhanced Strength, Agility, and Constitution, each by roughly 20% to 25%.

【Sharp Spirit】 further increased spiritual cutting power and slash-type spiritual arts by 12%.

【Heavy Spirit】 further enhanced blunt-force, shock, and defense-type spiritual arts by 11%.

【Water Spirit】 increased individual spiritual capacity by 80% and boosted water-type spiritual arts and their amplification effects by another +10%.

Overall, the boosts seemed less dramatic than when he ascended to seventh rank.

But that was because his base stats were now higher.

For an ordinary person, such a minor rank advancement wouldn't produce such obvious changes.

Mostly, it was the dozen or so Spirit Seeds that granted him extreme affinity with spirit.

After ascending, Luo De tested again with the brass Spirit Ball—369 marks.

A jump of 28 marks.

Eve also ascended; 【Elibert's Secret Pleasure Codex】 reached peak efficiency, and under Luo De's more advanced spiritual infusion, she smoothly reached the peak of sixth rank.

No wonder she's a naga.

Greed always overpowers reason.

Luo De also collected plenty of 【Greed Points】 from her.

The third area of progress was the ancient White Dragon's 【Spirit Devour Forging】 Battle Soul.

Because the scales had been absorbed, the constructed dragon now had no scales.

No choice.

【Form Forging】 and 【Spirit Devour Forging】 cannot be used together, and 【Dragon Scale Art】 has far higher priority than a dead dragon's Battle Soul.

But the skills that should have been unlocked upon solidifying the Battle Soul were not missing.

【Frost Affinity +1: Spirit carries frost power; ice-type spells and spiritual arts enhanced by 22%.】

【Purifying Dragon Roar +1: Purifies weather, dispelling fog, toxic gas, rain, snow, and other adverse conditions; range and effect depend on spiritual rank.】

【Dragon Power Art +2】

Due to the nature of the Spirit Devour Forging method.

The three newly unlocked skills came with +1 innate.

【Dragon Power Art】 already existed, so it jumped directly to +2.

After all, it's a dragon.

The brass ball's reading rose significantly, reaching 390 marks.

"Tally, bring me water."

Luo De called out to the nearby 【Li Oumeng's Secret Hut】.

No response.

He licked the sweat off Eve's body—it didn't quench his thirst.

He called again.

Still no response; instead, Wen Na opened the door and stepped out.

"Miss Tally is still resting in bed."

This five-day battle in the White Dragon's Tomb was intense; the succubus could only be favored by her master during Eve's breaks.

Even so, she still ate her fill.

Eat, sleep, wake, eat.

That was the ideal, perfect existence of a succubus.

"Bring me water."

"Me too," Eve added her order.

"Oh."

Wen Na turned and walked back into the hut.

The eldest daughter of Puwei showed no sign of embarrassment—face calm, heart steady, eyes unshielded.

"Hehe, just see how you'll manage to construct anything without me."

Eve suddenly arched her back, face flushed.

Then she collapsed against his shoulder, panting, and after catching her breath, spoke.

"Can't we stay a few more days?"

"I'd like to, but five days are up—the Sandlin can't hold out any longer."

(End of Chapter)